Focal length is one of the main considerations when buying and selecting a lens. And understanding how focal length works is essential to capturing the photos you want. Otherwise, you’ll be choosing lenses with random angles of view that only serve to confuse you with choices.
While we do go into some depth here and there are some confusing elements surrounding the topic, I’m confident that by the end of this article, you’ll have a solid foundation on what is focal length and how it relates to digital photography.
Focal length touches upon many elements of the photography basics; composition, aperture, depth of field, and other aspects all shift when taking focal length into account! Each twist of the zoom ring or swap of a prime lens is a shift in the interplay of focal length and your creative vision.
- What is focal length in photography?
- What does the focal length of a lens mean?
- How does focal length affect an image?
- Difference between focal length and depth of field
- Sensor size vs. field of view
- Focal length comparison chart
- Zoom vs. prime lens
- Focal length examples
GET OUR FREE EBOOK TO
MASTER THE PHOTOGRAPHY BASICS
20 LESSONS AND 80+ PAGES WITH EXAMPLES, INFOGRAPHICS, TIPS, AND MORE!
What is Focal Length in Photography?
The simplest focal length definition is a description of the distance between the center of a lens and the image sensor when the lens is focused at infinity.
Focal length also relates to field of view (also called angle of view) because changing the focal length changes the field of view – I’ll explain more about how the field of view and focal length of a lens interact with each other in greater detail below.
It’s important to consider that focal length is a static property of a lens that’s true regardless of crop factor; for example, a 16mm APS-C lens is a 16mm lens even if it has a 24mm equivalent field of view in a full-frame camera. We’ll see + in-depth info about this below.
What Does the Focal Length of a Lens Mean?
How focal length works is by describing each lens in terms of millimeters (lens mm). This description is a hard-physical reality of the lens in question, no matter the brand, format, or aperture.
This concept can be complicated when the crop factor and the field of view come into play since we began to ask what is the equivalence of the focal length of a lens using it in a camera with a different sensor format.
You can see more detailed information on this topic in our article on sensor sizes in photography.
So what are the mm in lenses? The key is to understand that focal length is calculated by measuring the distance from the optical center of the lens to the image sensor, and this distance is measured in mm. The longer the focal length, the physically longer the lens will be. Lenses with a wider view will have a shorter focal length and are physically shorter by comparison.
How Focal Length and Field of View are related
Apart from the definition of focal length in photography as the measurement in millimeters from the lens to the image sensor, focal length has a direct impact on the angle of view, which is a static property of the lens in question but is impacted by the sensor crop factor.
The angle of view in photography is the area of the scene that is captured by the camera sensor. This area is described in degrees of coverage in front of the camera.
Field of view relates to the angle of view for a given lens.
In practical terms, angle of view and field of view are used interchangeably in photography to indicate the way our cameras “see” the scene, and using a short focal length or a long focal length will change drastically the field of view or the amount of the scene that is photographed.
What is a Short Focal Length (Wide Angle of View)?
When you look at the focal length of the lens in question and you see a number below 35mm, you know you’re looking at a short focal length.
These lenses take on an expansive field of view that’s wider than what we normally pay attention to. An image taken with a 15mm lens will seem abnormally expansive, taking, for example, an entire landscape with ease.
Photographs taken with short focal lengths show distortion in certain elements; those closer to the foreground are magnified whereas all the elements in the background will show a diminished perspective.
What is a Long Focal Length (Small Picture Angle)?
A lens focal length that’s greater than 50mm is considered a long focal length. This view is narrower than the normal view we’re accustomed to when paying bare attention. An image taken with a 100mm telephoto lens will have a much smaller section of coverage than a normal or wide-angle field of view.
Photos taken with a long focal length look more “compressed” as compared to shorter focal lengths, and allow you to capture subjects from a farther distance without losing image quality.
Please note that lens compression is not related to the lens, but to the distance from the subject (Ex. You can achieve the same field of view and perspective shooting an element with a short focal length like 20 mm or cropping the same area from a 50 mm as long as both images are taken from the same distance).
What is a Standard Focal Length?
Standard focal lengths range from 35mm to 50mm depending on the type of camera sensor. The field of view provided by standard focal lengths approximates the field of view of the human eye.
Images taken with a standard focal length show a natural perspective without distortions.
How does Focal Length Affect an Image?
One key to understanding focal length is recognizing how the look of the image changes using lenses with different focal lengths. Using a wide-angle lens, foreground elements are emphasized while background elements are pushed even further away, looking smaller than they really are.
As we step into normal focal lengths, which are closer to our human vision (like 35mm), this effect is subtle to invisible. However, once we hit telephoto angles of view, the background appears to be closer to the subject. This effect increases as your lens mm does.
As you can see, the focal length we choose affects the final image. Also, the field of view and lens distortions fundamentally affect the type of photography you do.
For example, if I use a short focal length in portrait photography, parts of the body that are closer to me can be unflatteringly emphasized. On the other hand, in genres like landscape photography, it’s more common to see images taken with a wide-angle view, not only to capture the entire scene in a single image but to emphasize elements in the foreground.
What is the Difference between Focal Length and Focal Distance?
Focal length in photography comes up far more often than focal distance, which is an entirely different property of a lens. Focal distance is related to focal length but is not dependent on it.
Focal distance is the distance between the subject you are focusing to the camera sensor. Lenses that can work at close focal distances have higher magnification (or reproduction ratios) relative to lenses that need you to stay far from the subject.
Macro lenses have the highest magnification due to their unique construction, which reduces the focal distance they operate within and allow you to focus in very close subjects.
What is the Difference between Focal Length and Depth of Field?
Focal length and depth of field are different properties of both a lens and sensor but are somewhat related. Depth of field is how much of a scene is in sharp focus. How narrow or wide the depth of field is, is an interaction between focal length, sensor size, subject distance, and aperture value.
In the relation between focal length and depth of field, when all other values are equal, short focal lengths (or wide angles of view) have deeper depth of field relative to long focal lengths (narrow fields of view). Thus, the longer the focal length, the farther the hyperfocal distance will be.
There are great apps and websites that allow you to calculate depth of field for a given focal length, aperture, subject distance, and sensor.
We explain this topic with more detail and examples in our guide to depth of field in photography.
Sensor Size vs Field of View
Focal length comparisons are incomplete without the infamous crop factor discussion. Nowadays, we have APS-C, Micro 4/3rds, medium format, and full-frame, all of which use a lens focal length description centered around 35mm film gear. While this made sense when the digital revolution began, it’s often simply confusing to parse nowadays.
By taking the crop factor of a specific sensor and multiplying it by the field of view, we get the field of view as if it were viewed in the 35mm standard.
I emphasize that we get the field of view because again, lens focal length is inherent to a lens. A 25mm Micro 4/3rds lens has a 50mm full-frame field of view. However, it remains a 24mm lens with the distortion properties of a 24mm lens; it’s not magically a 50mm lens.
Sensor size is a contentious topic and I’ve broken it down further in my article on understanding Camera Sensor Size!
Lens Focal Length Comparison chart
Understanding focal length in photography can feel a bit overwhelming when trying to account for all of the ways it changes the properties of an image. Below, I’ve outlined the focal length differences across the major fields of view.
By comparing focal lengths, you can select those lenses that best suit your needs!
Wide-Angle Lens
Focal length differences are especially stark with wide-angle lenses. Each mm of width makes a visible difference, unlike telephoto lenses where it takes several mm to be easily noticeable.
Wide-angle lenses or short focal lengths offer a great opportunity for shooting landscapes, cityscapes, Milky Way photography, and Northern Lights photography.
14 mm focal length lens
Standard Lens
Normal or standard lenses have a focal length between 35mm and 50mm in full-frame terms. When comparing across formats, they have a field of view that’s also equivalent to a normal lens. These lenses best duplicate how we see the world.
Standard lenses or medium focal lengths are suitable for shooting many different genres like portrait, street photography, landscape, etc.
50 mm focal length lens
Telephoto Lens
Telephoto lenses are those beyond 50mm. These lenses are also physically longer than wide and normal lenses. The field of view is smaller but you gain significant reach.
These long focal lengths are perfect for close-up portraits, nature, and for capturing details in a scene.
100 mm focal length lens
Super Telephoto Lens
Super telephoto lenses have very different focal lengths, ranging from 300mm and beyond. When considering focal length and field of view, crop factor is incredibly important because you can gain significant amounts of reach using a crop sensor like Micro 4/3rds.
These super long focal lengths are usually more expensive but they allow to capture subjects from a very far distance like in sports and wildlife photography, and to shoot other genres like deep astrophotography.
Zoom vs. Prime Lens
Prime and zoom lenses are another aspect of the focal length explanation to consider.
Zoom lenses are what anyone who has ever picked up a camera in recent times is familiar with. In fact, they are so common that I often find non-photographers get baffled when I hand them a camera with a prime lens attached!
By twisting the barrel of a zoom lens, you can adjust the focal length and field of view of your lens, which affects depth of field, distortion, and all other aspects of your image.
However, using a prime lens means that you have to physically move in order to create a given field of view. Which kind of lens is better is an age-old question and really comes down to your own personal preferences!
Prime Lens
A prime lens can’t be adjusted and its focal length and field of view are fixed. The trade-off for flexibility in focal length is usually a wider aperture and better image quality because the prime lens can be optimized for its angle of view. Usually but not always; some top-quality zoom lenses nowadays are absolutely comparable to prime lenses in terms of quality for a given focal length.
Zoom Lens
Camera zoom lenses allows to change the angle of view without moving and are more versatile than prime lenses. The downside is that maximum apertures are not usually as fast as the fastest prime lenses. For example, an f/1.4 zoom would be ridiculously expensive and massive.
Understanding Focal Length and Camera Zoom
Understanding your camera’s zoom ability helps you know what sort of pictures you can reasonably expect to take. Just like with an interchangeable lens camera (ILC), the camera will have a focal length range that tells you about the properties of the lens.
Fixed lens camera focal lengths can also be multiplied by the crop factor of the sensor in order to compare it across formats. This is generally only important if you’re trying to replicate a look across focal lengths; i.e. you know you want a 135mm full-frame portrait style.
Focal Length Examples
Focal length can feel a little abstract when looking at one lens versus another. One of the easiest ways to understand focal length is to look at images that use the lenses in question! To wrap up, here are some focal length examples for you to consider:
Focal Length FAQ
What Does the Focal Length of a Lens Mean?
Focal length is the physical measurement of distance between the lens and the imaging sensor when the subject is in focus.
Why is Focal Length Important?
Focal length determines many of the characteristics of the photos you can take as well as the physical dimensions of the lens.
How does Focal Length Affect an Image?
Focal length mainly impacts the field of view, the depth of field, and focal distance.
What is the Best Focal Length?
The best focal length is the one that gets you the image you’re trying to create!
Conclusion
Lens focal length is a surprisingly nuanced topic! A simple physical measurement leads to so many considerations that go into how an image is composed. From the angle of view to depth of field, no aspect of a photograph goes untouched.
Hopefully, this article on explaining focal length has clarified some of the stickier aspects of the topic. Especially where they affect wide, normal, and telephoto fields of view.
Remember that if you tend to specialize in any type of photography, it’s crucial to understand how focal length affects your image so you can have a better idea of what sort of lenses you should be shopping with, as well as the impact they have on a subject and background. You can download my PDF photography guide to get more information about this.
As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments on the article. Thanks, and happy shooting!
Can you help me understand why a lens advertised as 60 mm f2.8 macro is described as 120mm and equivalent to 35mm focal length? I am completely bewildered.
Hi Anne, it totally depends on the sensor size of the camera. For example, if you’re using a Micro 4/3 sensor camera with the 60mm f2.8 lens, since the crop factor is 2x, it means that you’re cropping the image the double, so technically it’s like shooting at 120mm focal length. Hope it’s clear. 🙂
Hello Dan!
I’m Mariam from Mauritius. I wanted to thank you for this deep explanation on focal length!
I just bought my first camera and your article helped me so much!
Thanks again for taking your time to help people like me!
Thanks! Glad to see it helped!